Yardena Arazi

In 2008 Arazi was named the most popular Israeli singer of all time at the 60th Independence Day celebration.

Since 1997 Arazi has focused on her career as a TV host. For 9 years she co-hosted the channel 2 morning magazine Cafe Telad, and later on she hosted at Channel 1 (Shir Hashishim), Channel 2 (Malcot Hashabat), GLZ radio station etc.

In 1989 Arazi recorded the album Desert Fantasy than included 10 Hebrew versions of Arabic songs originally written and sung by Farid al-Atrash, Fairuz, Abdul Halim, Samira Said and others. The album was also released in the US and Japan and was hugely successful around the Middle East.

Arazi took part at the domestic Israeli Eurovision competition (Kdam) as a singer in 1982, 1983, and 1985 and as a co-host in 1987. In 1988, she was selected internally by IBA to sing the Israeli entry for Eurovision and during a special TV show, in which she presented four news songs, the entry was chosen. Eventually, she went to Dublin with the song Ben Adam ("Human Being"), which came in seventh. Arazi has always been highly superstitious and consults an astrologer on all matters in her life. The astrologer told her the song performed 9th would win the competition in Dublin, Ireland. Israel had drawn 9th in the running order, so Arazi agreed to represent Israel. However, when Cyprus withdrew from the contest, Israel's position shifted to 8th. The 9th song did win the competition; with the Swiss triumphing from that position.

During the 1980s Arazi was one of the most successful singers in Israel, being named as the top female singer of the year five times and as the top female singer of the decade; releasing 10 gold and platinum albums. She kept performing internationally including in Poland with Israel Philharmonic Orchestra and Zubin Mehta, in Australia, Turkey, the United States and Egypt.

In 1979, the Israel Broadcasting Authority (IBA) asked Arazi to co-host the Eurovision Song Contest in Jerusalem with news anchor Daniel Pe'er. Her hosting received positive reviews across Europe and she participated in TV shows in the Netherlands with Milk and Honey and in Belgium with Mike Burstyn. Arazi was signed to a recording contract with record label Ariola Records and released a mini-album with songs written by Bernd Meinunger. During this period she met Natan Tomer and decided to return to Israel.

In the 1970s, Yardena Arazi was a member of the female vocal trio Chocolate, Menta, Mastik along with Leah Lupatin and Rutie Holzman. The group represented Israel in the 1976 Eurovision Song Contest with the song Emor Shalom ("Say Hello"), placing sixth. After the Eurovision competition, they began an international tour that included Brazil, Sweden, Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium; releasing several singles in English, French and German and appeared in many TV shows all over Europe. Arazi left the band in 1978.

Yardena Shulamit Arazi (born Yardena Finebaum, Hebrew: ירדנה ארזי ‎; September 25, 1951) is an Israeli singer and entertainer.